Treatment Use Among College Women Following a Campus Shooting

Despite increases in campus shootings, there is limited research on treatment utilization after these tragic events. The present study prospectively examined the prevalence and predictors of treatment use among college women following a campus shooting. Predictors included age, race/ethnicity, education level, severity of exposure to shooting, and post-shooting sequelae (i.e., social support, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] severity, depression severity). Present data were obtained from 516 women on campus at the time of the shooting. They completed electronic and online surveys across three time points - pre-shooting (T1), 1-month post-shooting (T2), and 6-months post-shooting (T3). As expected, few participants (14.4%) sought any treatment. Of note, 77.5% of participants endorsed at least one risk factor for PTSD. Prevalence rates of probable PTSD significantly decreased from 51.8% of the full sample at T2 to 12.9% at T3. Results showed that a significantly higher proportion of participants with probable PTSD at T3 sought treatment than those participants at minimal to no risk for PTSD. Psychotherapy was sought at higher rates than medication or combined treatment across risk groups. No reliable predictors of treatment use were observed for at-risk participants or those with probable PTSD. Research and clinical suggestions for optimizing post-disaster recovery and improving treatment utilization among students following campus shootings are discussed.